On July 20, 2015, suddenly, unexpectedly a special son of the RCS community for more than 75 years was summoned home; a colorful, memorable, well-liked, loved and respected member of the RCS community, Rodney A. Krzykowski, died but he left an American legacy and true meaning for those of us who are still able to know the American pioneer spirit when we see it. Rodney will be truly missed by many of us. He should be missed by all of us.
In fact, you can thank Rodney Krzykowski for this Blog! This very blog owes its existence to Rodney Kryzkowski. Think back to 2012, when the crooks, conspirators and special-interest lackies (James Latter, Howard Engel, Alice Whalen, Joe Tracey, Josephine O’Connor, Matt Miller, the RCS Sports Association, and the nefarious Delucas, Cathy and Dirty-Hands Jerry) were ambushing and backstabbing, and lying their way into controlling the RCS school board and the $42,000,000+ budget. This blog was started to defend Rodney and to expose the crooks and conspirators for what they were. That was three years ago and we’re still going strong, thanks to Rodney and the raw deal the crooks were handing him.
Rodney Krzykowski was a man of few words but those words held incredible meaning. He was an honest man, a man who shot from the hip with deadly accuracy, as many of the members of the RCS board of education, like Mr James Latter, Mr Howard “Bray” Engel, Ms Alice Whalen and others too numerous to name, learned very quickly and have the scars to prove it. Rodney was intelligent and did the math before he opened his mouth, unlike the current Latter board, and when he spoke, he made sense; he never learned double-speak.
Rodney embodied a very rare pioneer spirit and didn’t have very much use for government or the crooks government seems to attract and feed. He was brilliant when it came to researching even arcane subjects and doing his homework. Unlike most of our elected officials and public employees, Rodney thrived on intellectual challenges;if it was out there, he’d find it, and when he did Watch out! Town of Coeymans. Most of the local sheeple tended to condemn him on unsubstantiated misinformation spread by the local incest clubs. Surprised? Unlike Rodney, everyone else had something to say about his politics but none of them really knew anything at all about him or his politics. We did, though, and we must admit that he was on to something, not a fanatic or an anarchist, but a true crusader, a man whose principles guided him, and a man who thumbed his nose to ass-kissers and clique-members. When you spoke to Rodney, you had an instinctual perception that the man was special, honest, had a pioneer integrity that is almost extinct these days.
Rodney was a mechanical genius. He loved his cars and he loved racing them. Yes, Rodney raced stock and modified his cars himself, frequently creating machinery to get a job done. If something needed customizing he could conjure up an apparatus to do it. Makes you wonder that he never went the patent route with his creations; the man could have been a millionaire.
Yes, he could have been very comfortable but he preferred to remain simple and work for what he had. If you knew Rodney, you would have to agree with us that you would find it very difficult to find anyone who was a harder worker than he. The man never stopped.
Whether with friends — he was always welcome in many local homes — hanging out in local automotive shops, or at the Medway Café, where you could find hm regularly, he was quiet, minded his own business, but was always available if you wanted to chat. In fact, there was no one still living who knew more about local property histories, businesses, families, and government than Rodney Krzykowski. If you needed to know anything about the property that is now the Port of Coeymans or Don Trickie’s escapades, you’d ask Rodney. He could tell you what was there, what’s still there, who put it there and, if it’s not there anymore, where it went.
Rodney was also an avid history buff and could talk your ear off about the Constitution, the developmental history of taxation, property laws, and the list goes on. He scared the living bejeebers out of local officials, lawyers, judges, because they were ignorant of most of what Rodney had spent years researching. Most local officials rely on an ignorant community and they have their way with the poor bastards; Not with Rodney K! He’d send those dirty dogs packing with their cruddy tails between their legs. We need more Rodneys to keep things kosher in town and village halls.
Rodney owned a tavern and most recently RAK Tire Recovery and the former R.K. Winners Circle. He was not only a businessman and entrepreneur but active in community organizations, too. He was a member of the Ravena Grange and the County Grange and was elected to serve on the RCS board of education. He even raced stock cars at Lebanon Valley for many years.
Rodney was a self-made man, a good man, a generous friend. We are deeply saddened by the way his death was hushed by his family, and how his community was deprived of the opportunity to grieve his death, how Rodney’s friends and admirers were deprived of the opportunity to mourn the loss of a friend and model citizen. We were outraged by the pitifully scant obituary that was tucked away, almost invisible, in a Sunday Times Union. Rodney deserved better, much better. In fact, quite a number of Rodney’s friends and acquaintances were shocked and offended that he was disposed of like a box of old newspapers. A number of those friends and acquaintances even offered to chip in a couple of hundred dollars each to cover a proper viewing and funeral but Rodney’s daughters allegedly wanted to make quick work of it all — the Babcock Funeral Home of Ravena (NY) — a real monopoly in the Ravena area, big prices small productions — , known for its sloppy service, probably didn’t do much to help the general situation.
But the well-hidden, cheapo obituary did announce that Rodney’s memorial service was to be held on
Saturday, August 1, 2015
at 11:00 a.m. at the
Trinity United Methodist Church
Coeymans Hollow
We hope that everyone who knew Rodney will be there to show their support for this fine man, and to show that true American pioneer spirit still has a place in our decrepit culture. Let’s see how Trinity United Methodist will manage to appropriately and fittingly celebrate Rodney’s life; are they up to the task? (See Editor’s Note.)
Editor’s Note: The turnout at Trinity United Methodist Church for Rodney’s memorial service was standing room only. Rev. Meager rushed the actual service a bit and the hymns could have been a bit more energetic but overall the event was a fine tribute. The Grange did a beautiful tribute, and the eulogies spoke only well of Rodney and his contributions to the community. It was a proper tribute to a fine man, and we’d like to thank the community for showing up and doing Rodney proud.
Rodney,
You grew in wisdom, age, and grace and learned through suffering.
May the Lord bless and keep you.
May choirs of angels welcome you and lead you into paradise,
May the martyrs come to welcome you
and take you to the holy city,
the new and eternal Jerusalem,
where you may find respite in the bosom of Abraham;
where Lazarus is poor no longer,
where every tear is wiped away.
There may you find eternal peace.
We’ll remember you, Rodney.
The Editor
Albany NY a.k.a. Smalbany 